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Action is the antidote to despair. Joan Baez Resources for solidarity, support & mental health: Local Organising to Support the Most Vulnerable in Our CommunitiesCovid-19 Mutual Aid UK On living your best self indoorsNim Ralph Resources for communicating about COVID-19: National Covid-19 Messaging DocumentASO Communications Talking About COVID-19: A Call for Racial, Economic, and HealthRead more

Analyses of language reveal the extraordinary fact that we use around one metaphor for every ten seconds of speech or written work. If that sounds like too much, it’s because you’re so used to thinking metaphorically – to speaking of ideas that are ‘conceived’ or rain that is ‘driving’ or rage that is ‘burning’ orRead more

Only a crisis – actual or perceived – produces real change. When that crisis occurs, the actions that are taken depend on the ideas that are lying around. Milton Friedman So what are the ideas that are lying around? You may not share Milton Friedman’s opinion of the ideas we need lying around. But ourRead more

Just a few weeks ago, this moment was unimaginable. We would not have believed the headlines, or been able to picture how the high street looks today. COVID-19 has abruptly pressed pause on anything that resembles ‘normal’ day-to-day life. This is a moment of anxiety. We are fearful for our health and the health ofRead more

Climate change is featuring in this election like it has never featured in any British election before. Barely mentioned in previous election cycles, this year we have seen it front and centre of manifesto pledges, and Channel 4 hosting a climate debate for the first time. Awareness and concern about climate change is now at an all time high, and we are at a critical fork in the road: We vote for a government that will act on climate change, or we don’t and face the consequences.

Framing the Economy is a collaboration between PIRC, the New Economics Foundation, the New Economy Organisers Network and the FrameWorks Institute. Over two years, we have worked together to find out how people across the UK think about the economy – and how civil society campaigners can use this understanding to better communicate. During thisRead more

Social movements across Europe face some common framing challenges. We asked over 200 campaigners—environmentalists, feminists, anti-racists, new economists, and many more—what we’re up against, analysed the trends and pulled together the key lessons. If you’re part of a group organising for social change, we’re sure you’ll be familiar with times of fear, grief and despairRead more

When you communicate you usually have a good idea of what you want to say and the change you want to make. But when it comes to crafting a message, how do you know whether it will work? Testing helps you find out whether your choice of framing (the emphasis you put on particular concepts)Read more

Today PIRC, the New Economics Foundation, NEON and the FrameWorks Institute are launching two story strategies that progressives can use to shift thinking on the economy. They’re built on values and metaphors that encourage the hope that change is possible and increase people’s support for progressive policies.

Shalom Schwartz is the psychologist behind the values model that inspires Common Cause, a values-led approach to social change. This summer, I met him at his home in New York. We talked about the connection between values and behaviour, some of the strangest applications of his theory and, of course, the values that matter toRead more

For anyone working towards a more equitable, democratic and sustainable society It’s just seven days until the polling stations close. Depending on your constitution (and/or the most recent poll you have seen), you might feel we are living in exciting (or terrifying) political times, or you might agree with Brenda in Bristol that there is justRead more

“If you think about it, the economy is rigged. The banking system is rigged. There’s a lot of things that are rigged in this world of ours… and we’re going to change it. You know, the system, folks, is rigged. It’s a rigged system.” If we take the word ‘folks’ out, this quote from DonaldRead more

Call out for literature! PIRC, New Economics Foundation, NEON and the Frameworks Institute are starting an 18 month project on Framing the Economy, helping social movements tell a better, more compelling story about what our economy is for, how it’s broken, and how we can fix it. It’s an ambitious project and we want toRead more

Last week, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation released a report that calls for more kindness in communities, and outlines some ways that helpfulness and support can be encouraged. It shows that kindness takes different forms, not all of them equal in their impact, and it looks at a real British community (Hebden Bridge) to make recommendations thatRead more

The desire to understand and classify different types of human relationships isn’t new; we’ve been pondering it for thousands of years. What rules govern our interactions? And how do relationships shape us into the people we become? The answers aren’t immediately straight forward, because the way we interact with each other is influenced by manyRead more